Cruel Britannia: A Secret History of Torture [Hardcover]

In one of the most shocking and persuasive books of the year, Cobain details not just British complicity in torture, but the longstanding practice of the thing itself, and the lies British politicians have always told, and are still telling, to cover it up. --David Hare

I found Cruel Britannia utterly gripping. Ian Cobain's writing has poise and measure, allowing space for these horrific truths to seep in, under the skin. I will not forget what I have learnt from this book, and I will be telling others about it for years to come. --P J Harvey

I am not prone to gasp and nor would I describe myself as naive. But the scale of torture in the British security services, as revealed by Ian Cobain in this admirably researched book, took me aback... Absorbing and devastating - Observer

Cobain's account is a reminder of why the default assumption, for every journalist dealing with authority, must be: Why is this liar lying to me? ? For the reader, it is a reminder of why we need journalist. As this quietly reported history of torture shows, Cobain is a fine one - Sunday Times

From the London Cage a secret World War II interrogation centre through to the Cold War, the Troubles and the death of Baha Mousa in Iraq, what d been done under the aegis of the British state will shock anyone who cherishes civilised values - --Metro

A deeply disturbing book which implicates both the British Government and the Security Services. It is like rolling a hand grenade into the heart of the Establishment. --Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas Mercer

I am not prone to gasp and nor would I describe myself as naive. But the scale of torture in the British security services, as revealed by Ian Cobain in this admirably researched book, took me aback... Absorbing and devastating - Observer

Cobain's account is a reminder of why the default assumption, for every journalist dealing with authority, must be: Why is this liar lying to me? ? For the reader, it is a reminder of why we need journalist. As this quietly reported history of torture shows, Cobain is a fine one - Sunday Times

From the London Cage a secret World War II interrogation centre through to the Cold War, the Troubles and the death of Baha Mousa in Iraq, what d been done under the aegis of the British state will shock anyone who cherishes civilised values - --Metro

A deeply disturbing book which implicates both the British Government and the Security Services. It is like rolling a hand grenade into the heart of the Establishment. --Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas Mercer

IAN COBAIN was born in Liverpool in 1960. He has been a journalist since the early 1980s and is currently an investigative reporter with the Guardian. His inquiries into the UK's involvement in torture since 9/11 have won a number of major awards, including the Martha Gellhorn Prize and the Paul Foot Award for investigative journalism. He has also won several Amnesty International media awards. Cobain lives in London with his wife and two children. This is his first book.